Feels So Right
by Sam4
Summary: A Benton Backwards post-ep/alternate ending - what if Abby had followed Luka that night?


Title: Feels So Right - Part 1/2   
Author: Sam  
Disclaimer: None of these characters are mine - they belong to Warner Bros. I do not make any money from doing this - I'm just a dirt-poor college student!  
Summary: A Benton Backwards post-ep/alternate ending. Sort of ignores the events of Flight of Fancy (as much as us Lubys love them!). What if Abby had followed Luka when he left?  
Note: This is the first ER story I've actually posted. Any others remain lurking on my hard drive; therefore, I'd love to have some feedback!   
sam4226@aol.com   
I've also got Part 2 of this in the works already - from Luka's POV, so be on the look out for it soon.  
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His eyes were haunted, distant. That could have been said for either of the men before her. The mugger's as he lay lifeless on the gurney. Or Luka's, who stared blankly through the glass window at the dead man, holding a hand up to his mouth. It was the same look she saw in his eyes when she vainly kept calling his name as the man's head was being smashed against the cement.   
  
In comfort, Abby gently placed a hand on the small of his back. It didn't stay there longer than a few seconds before he stalked out silently.   
  
That stung.   
  
But at the moment, she didn't care. She followed him out the bay doors as he walked away without a word.  
  
"Luka..." she spoke, her voice trembling with emotion, "Luka!" she tried once more as his tall frame faded into the blackness of the cold night.  
  
Her gaze shifted to the sky and she watched her breath come out of her lips, forming a small cloud that drifted upward into the air. How could this happen on a first date, she thought.  
  
And she took the first step forward. She had to walk briskly to keep Luka in sight, and as it was, they were already nearly a block apart. She even jogged a few steps here and there to cover more ground.  
  
Damn him and his long legs. Not that she didn't like them... Hell, there wasn't much about him not to like. She'd tested the lips. They were soft, gentle, enjoyable. Unlike Richard's, if she recalled correctly, who was always applying layer after layer of Chapstick that led to this build up of white 'gunk' at the corners of his mouth. Disgusting, she reminisced with a shudder.  
  
Abby growled as she was forced to stop at an intersection until the white letters 'WALK' allowed her to cross. Thankfully, even from her distance now, Luka appeared to have slowed his pace - now lacking that fire in his step that was present just a few blocks ago.   
  
Turning another corner, the sidewalk brightened and she looked up to see Luka enter a hotel.   
  
So he really does live in a hotel.  
  
Rushing up to the front door, she gave the doorman a smile and tried not to lose Luka, who headed for the stairs.   
  
As they ascended, she heard the door directly above her shut and the soft tapping of his shoes disappeared. First floor, she thought. Pulling that door open, she glanced each way down the hall to see him standing still in front of what she assumed was his door, fumbling in his pockets for something...most likely a key.  
  
She took a few steps closer, putting her hands in the pockets of her jacket.  
  
"Luka," she said quietly, not wanting to startle him. Although her intentions were good, she did not succeed and his head snapped up to stare at her.   
  
"Abby..." he replied softly, closing his eyes as he pulled a cardkey from his pants pocket. Slipping it into the slot just above the handle, a small light flashed green and he pushed the door open with one hand.  
  
"I couldn't let you go..."  
  
"You should have," he interrupted, almost angrily and stepped into the darkened room, allowing Abby to follow him inside.  
  
Abby watched him silently as he turned on a small lamp next to the bed, shedding a dim light around the room. As he disappeared into the bathroom, she heard him run the water - splashing against the sides of the sink a couple of times. When he reappeared, the edges of his face and hair were wet. His eyes staring at the floor as he walked towards the bed and sat down heavily on its edge.   
  
"Luka, please don't be angry. I couldn't leave you alone after..."  
  
"After what? After I'd killed a man, is that it?" Luka asked sharply and looked up at her, his eyes narrowed, but Abby could see the weariness behind them.  
  
"Luka, for God's sakes, it was self-defense," she replied in an equally angry tone. "That guy could have killed both of us with his damn metal pipe. You can't blame yourself. And I thank you. You probably saved my life." That was all half-true. He couldn't continue to blame himself, but she was sure there was something more than self-defense driving his rage back by the river.  
  
His face transformed through a mixture of disgusted, pained expressions, and he shook his head, finally dropping into his hands.  
  
Abby's eyes moved carefully over his entire body, catching sight of the blood that still trimmed the collar of his blue-gray shirt. She went into his bathroom and returned with a damp washcloth. Sitting down beside him on the bed, she gently placed the washcloth over the cut on the back of his head.  
  
He sharply drew in a breath and winced as she held it there, but contrary to what she expected, he didn't pull away. He seemed to relax just slightly and his eyes closed.   
  
"You should have let Cleo put in a few stitches. You've probably got a concussion," she said quietly, carefully picking up the cloth to examine the cut.  
  
He didn't seem to care. Silence ensued for another few minutes. She was beginning to think he had fallen asleep sitting up when he spoke, his voice was low and she had to lean closer to hear him clearly.  
  
"I wasn't going to lose you, too."  
  
Abby leaned back, her forehead creased in confusion when he didn't continue. The 'too' in that statement implied that he'd lost someone else. Ah, wait, she'd heard this rumor at work. He had lost his family in Croatia. If that was true, it explained something about tonight.  
  
She thought for a moment before responding. "Luka, you didn't lose me. I'm right here." She picked up his hand in hers. But Abby was getting no response from him. He merely stared distantly at some imaginary spot on the wall across the room. And rather than feeling like she was comforting him, she felt like a nuisance. It was obvious he didn't want her there.   
  
But she didn't want to leave. That kiss at the bar hadn't just been nothing. It was something. Something she wasn't willing to let go of.  
  
With a sigh, she slowly released his hand and stood up from the bed. "Make sure you stay awake for at least 8 hours and put some ice on your head," the nurse in her spoke as she reached the door.   
  
As she twisted the doorknob, she felt him take hold of her free hand from behind her. She turned her head to watch him over her shoulder and her eyes locked with his.   
  
"No. Stay..."  
  
END 


End file.
